A loving son has paid tribute to his "amazing" mother, born and bred in Norwich and well-known for her work as a faithful Premier shop assistant around the city.

When Lucy Jane Balding didn't arrive for work on October 7, her son Matty Buck went to check on her.

He found her in her home and called the police.

Following the tragedy he said: "I can't believe she's dead. I'm still processing what happened.

"She was the most amazing woman I know."

The 42-year-old mum lived in Mile Cross.

She had attended Thorpe St Andrew High School and worked at three different Premier branches across Hellesdon and Jenny Lind in her time.

From 2000 to 2002, she lived in San Antonio Bay in Ibiza with her son and parents, taking up a bar gig before returning to her home town.

Now leaving behind both her parents, her 22-year-old son Matty and her other child, 14-year-old Sydney, Mr Buck said the family was utterly distraught — and were overwhelmed by the outpouring of support from Lucy's friends and colleagues.

Mr Buck said: "Lucy smiled at people who passed her in the street, even total strangers. You could tell it made their day when she did that.

"She was a total workaholic, and, bless her heart, spent all her time covering other people's shifts at Premier because she loved helping out. She worked so hard she used to have a painful back. Absolutely everyone knew her.

"If she wasn't doing that, she was cleaning the house because of her OCD — or was looking after my two-year-old daughter Myla'Rose.

"Her granddaughter was her world."

The saddest thing of all, Mr Buck said, was that he now didn't have any money to pay for Lucy's funeral.

The 22-year-old added: "I haven't got nearly enough to give her the send off she deserves.

"I've set up a GoFundMe to cover the costs, which will be about £4,000.

"I feel so awful and needy doing it, but I have no other choice. It's the least I can do for her."

You can donate to Lucy's funeral costs by clicking here.